Elastic shoelace with malleable metal tip

ABSTRACT

A shoelace system for an article of footwear may include an elastic shoelace having a metal tip with a rounded-rectangle cross section. Corresponding eyelets of the footwear have a similarly shaped opening. In some examples, the shoelace tip is configured to pass through the opening of the eyelet in only one orientation. In some examples, manufacturing the shoelace includes inserting the lace into a hollow tip and then stamping the tip into the desired shape.

CROSS-REFERENCES

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of thepriority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/692,476,filed Jun. 29, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for securing shoe uppersonto a wearer's foot. More specifically, the disclosed embodimentsrelate to an improved shoelace.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methodsrelating to shoelaces and lacing systems for footwear.

In some embodiments, an article of footwear may include: an upper havinga plurality of eyelets, each of the eyelets having an oblong aperture; ashoelace including an elastic lace portion having an inelastic tipfastened to each end, wherein each of the tips has an oblong crosssection; wherein the shoelace passes through one or more of the eyelets.

In some embodiments, a shoelace system for an article of footwear mayinclude: a flat elastic lace terminating at each end in a respectiveshoelace tip, wherein each of the shoelace tips has an oblong crosssection; and one or more eyelets, each having an oblong aperture formedtherethrough, such that the one or more eyelets are configured toreceive the shoelace tips.

In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing shoelaces may include:providing a shoelace tip comprising a malleable material forming ahollow cylinder with an open end and a rounded closed end; inserting anend portion of an elastic shoelace into the open end of the shoelacetip; mechanically flattening the shoelace tip with the end portion ofthe elastic shoelace inside, such that the tip has an oblong crosssection and the shoelace is fastened therein.

Features, functions, and advantages may be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yetother embodiments, further details of which can be seen with referenceto the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a shoe having an illustrative shoelace inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of two portions of an illustrative eyelet for usewith shoelaces in accordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal cross sectional view of a shoelaceand eyelet, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic lateral cross sectional view of the shoelace andeyelet of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 depicts a sectional plan view of the illustrative shoelace andtip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 depicts an end sectional view of the shoelace and tip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting steps of an illustrative method formanufacturing shoelaces according to the present teachings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects and examples of a shoelace having improved functionalityand appearance, as well as related methods, are described below andillustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwise specified, ashoelace in accordance with the present teachings, and/or its variouscomponents, may contain at least one of the structures, components,functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/orincorporated herein. Furthermore, unless specifically excluded, theprocess steps, structures, components, functionalities, and/orvariations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein inconnection with the present teachings may be included in other similardevices and methods, including being interchangeable between disclosedembodiments. The following description of various examples is merelyillustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit thedisclosure, its application, or uses. Additionally, the advantagesprovided by the examples and embodiments described below areillustrative in nature and not all examples and embodiments provide thesame advantages or the same degree of advantages.

This Detailed Description includes the following sections, which followimmediately below: (1) Definitions; (2) Overview; (3) Examples,Components, and Alternatives; (4) Advantages, Features, and Benefits;and (5) Conclusion. The Examples, Components, and Alternatives sectionis further divided into subsections A and B, each of which is labeledaccordingly.

Definitions

The following definitions apply herein, unless otherwise indicated.

“Substantially” means to be more-or-less conforming to the particulardimension, range, shape, concept, or other aspect modified by the term,such that a feature or component need not conform exactly. For example,a “substantially cylindrical” object means that the object resembles acylinder, but may have one or more deviations from a true cylinder.

“Comprising,” “including,” and “having” (and conjugations thereof) areused interchangeably to mean including but not necessarily limited to,and are open-ended terms not intended to exclude additional, unrecitedelements or method steps.

Terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used to distinguish oridentify various members of a group, or the like, and are not intendedto show serial or numerical limitation.

“AKA” means “also known as,” and may be used to indicate an alternativeor corresponding term for a given element or elements.

“Coupled” means connected, either permanently or releasably, whetherdirectly or indirectly through intervening components.

“Resilient” describes a material or structure configured to respond tonormal operating loads (e.g., when compressed) by deforming elasticallyand returning to an original shape or position when unloaded.

“Rigid” describes a material or structure configured to be stiff,non-deformable, or substantially lacking in flexibility under normaloperating conditions.

“Elastic” describes a material or structure configured to spontaneouslyresume its former shape after being stretched or expanded.

“Providing,” in the context of a method, may include receiving,obtaining, purchasing, manufacturing, generating, processing,preprocessing, and/or the like, such that the object or materialprovided is in a state and configuration for following steps to becarried out.

Overview

In general, a shoelace and shoe as described herein may include anelastic lace coupled to an inelastic tip having an oval orrounded-rectangle cross section. The tip may be referred tointerchangeably as an aglet. See FIGS. 1-6 for illustrative examples.

The tip is connected to the elastic lace and held in place by anadhesive or glue, as well as by compression of the tip around the lace.In an illustrative manufacturing process (see FIG. 7), a cylindrical(round) tip is first produced using any suitable method. The cylindricaltip has a hollow portion for insertion of the lace. The elastic shoelaceis cut to an appropriate length, and its ends are inserted to the roundtips. Ends of the shoelace may be pre-formed and/or wrapped with tape tofacilitate insertion into the tips.

The tips (with laces inserted) are then placed in a mold or stampingpress (or other suitable apparatus) and mechanically pressed to beformed into the final flattened, thinner, oblong (e.g.,rounded-rectangular) shape. In some examples, the resulting tips mayhave a stadium-shaped cross section. (See FIGS. 1, 2, 4-6).

Any suitable malleable material may be used to construct the tips. Insome examples, a zinc alloy is utilized, such as an alloy of 80% zinc(Zn) and 20% copper (Cu). In some examples, a rubberized coating may beadded to the formed aglets, e.g., to add better grip and durability.This coating may be spray-applied. In some examples, the aglets may beanodized.

EXAMPLES, COMPONENTS, AND ALTERNATIVES

The following sections describe selected aspects of exemplary shoelaces,as well as related systems and/or methods. The examples in thesesections are intended for illustration and should not be interpreted aslimiting the scope of the present disclosure. Each section may includeone or more distinct embodiments or examples, and/or contextual orrelated information, function, and/or structure.

A. Illustrative Shoelace and Eyelet

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, this section describes an illustrative shoelaceassembly 10. Shoelace assembly 10 is an example of the shoelace and tipdescribed in the Overview above. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2,shoelace assembly 10 includes an elastic or resilient lace 12 and a tip14 coupled to each end of the lace. Eyelets 16, each of which maycomprise two eyelet portions 18 and 20, are formed in an upper 22 of ashoe 24 or other article of footwear (e.g., by crimping or otherwisefastening the eyelet portions in an aperture of the upper).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, tip 14 has an oblong shape substantiallycorresponding to the oblong opening of eyelet 16. FIG. 4 includesillustrative measurements, indicating that in at least some examples,tip 14 will only pass through eyelet 16 in one orientation. In otherwords, rotating the tip 90 degrees on its long axis results in aninability to pass the tip through the eyelet. Although illustrativedimensions are called out in FIG. 4, any suitable dimensions may beutilized to achieve the shape and functionality of the lace and eyeletdescribed herein.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views of tip 14, showing the end of lace 12held therein. Tip 14 may have any suitable dimensions comporting withthe functionality and appearance described herein, and therefore may beproportionally larger or smaller on any given dimension. Tip 14, forexample, has a length L and a width W, with width W being substantiallylonger than an overall thickness T. Length L may be longer than width Wand thickness T. In some examples, length L may be approximately 23 mm,width W may be approximately 5.5 mm, and thickness T may beapproximately 3.5 mm. The tip also has a wall thickness, which may, forexample, be 0.35 mm.

As shown in FIG. 6 and elsewhere, the cross-sectional shape of tip 14 isthat of a rounded rectangle. Faces or sides of the tip may besubstantially planar, with rounded or radiused corners. This may beachieved, for example, by way of the manufacturing method describedbelow. In some examples, the cross-section is a stadium shape, with flatsides spanning the width and curved sides spanning the thickness. Insome examples, the overall shape is an oval.

B. Illustrative Method

This section describes steps of an illustrative method 700 formanufacturing shoelaces in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure; see FIG. 7. Aspects of the shoelace system described abovemay be utilized in the method steps described below. Where appropriate,reference may be made to components and systems that may be used incarrying out each step. These references are for illustration, and arenot intended to limit the possible ways of carrying out any particularstep of the method.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating steps performed in method 700, andmay not recite the complete process or all steps of the method. Althoughvarious steps of method 700 are described below and depicted in FIG. 7,the steps need not necessarily all be performed, and in some cases maybe performed simultaneously or in a different order than the ordershown.

At step 702, a substantially cylindrical shoelace tip is provided,wherein the shoelace tip comprises a malleable material, e.g., a metal.In some examples, the shoelace tip may comprise a zinc alloy. Theshoelace tip may comprise a hollow cylinder with an open end and aclosed end. The closed end may be radiused or otherwise rounded.

At step 704, a shoelace (e.g., an elastic shoelace) is inserted into theshoelace tip. Step 704 may include wrapping an end of the shoelace intape or another wrapping material and/or coating an end of the shoelacewith an adhesive.

At step 706, a stamping tool or mechanical press is utilized tomechanically flatten the tip, such that the tip has a rounded-rectanglecross section, and the shoelace is captured therein.

Advantages, Features, and Benefits

The different embodiments and examples of the shoelaces described hereinprovide several advantages over known solutions. For example,illustrative embodiments and examples described herein utilize a moremalleable material for the tip (e.g., zinc alloy), thereby preventingbreakage and cracking with certain steel and aluminum materials.

Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments andexamples described herein insert the lace prior to forming or moldingthe tip into its final shape. When tips are preformed or molded to theirfinal shape before insertion of the lace, the lace may not fill up thetip fully. This can result in inadequate bonding and/or an unfinishedappearance.

Additionally, and among other benefits, when the lace ends are insertedand pressed inside the mold or stamped by the stamping tool, the laceends form along with the tips. This results in an improved look andbonding, as if a unibody construction.

Additionally, and among other benefits, the lace tips may be turned to atransverse (e.g., 90-degree) angle after passing through the eyelet,thereby “locking” the tip and preventing it from being withdrawn throughthe eyelet (i.e., preventing inadvertent unlacing). The elasticity ofthe lace may further enhance this feature.

No known system or device can perform these functions. However, not allembodiments and examples described herein provide the same advantages orthe same degree of advantage.

CONCLUSION

The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct exampleswith independent utility. Although each of these has been disclosed inits preferred form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed andillustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, becausenumerous variations are possible. To the extent that section headingsare used within this disclosure, such headings are for organizationalpurposes only. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all noveland nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements,features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The followingclaims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinationsregarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinationsof features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed inapplications claiming priority from this or a related application. Suchclaims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to theoriginal claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matterof the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of footwear, comprising: an upperhaving a plurality of eyelets, each of the eyelets having an oblongaperture; a shoelace including an elastic lace portion having aninelastic tip fastened to each end, wherein each of the tips has anoblong cross section; wherein the shoelace passes through one or more ofthe eyelets.
 2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the oblongaperture of the eyelets is configured to allow passage of the oblong tipof the shoelace in a first orientation, and to arrest passage of the tipof the shoelace in a second orientation.
 3. The article of footwear ofclaim 1, wherein the oblong cross section of the shoelace tip is arounded rectangle.
 4. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein theoblong cross section of the shoelace tip is a stadium shape.
 5. Thearticle of footwear of claim 1, wherein the shoelace tip comprises amalleable metal.
 6. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein theshoelace tip comprises a zinc alloy.
 7. The article of footwear of claim6, wherein the zinc alloy is at least 80% zinc.
 8. A shoelace system foran article of footwear, the shoelace system comprising: a flat elasticlace terminating at each end in a respective shoelace tip, wherein eachof the shoelace tips has an oblong cross section; and one or moreeyelets, each having an oblong aperture formed therethrough, such thatthe one or more eyelets are configured to receive the shoelace tips. 9.The shoelace system of claim 8, wherein the oblong aperture of theeyelets is configured to allow passage of the oblong tip of the shoelacein a first orientation, and to arrest passage of the tip of the shoelacein a second orientation.
 10. The shoelace system of claim 8, wherein theoblong cross-section of the shoelace tip is a rounded rectangle.
 11. Theshoelace system of claim 8, wherein the oblong cross-section of theshoelace tip is a stadium shape.
 12. The shoelace system of claim 8,wherein the shoelace tip comprises a malleable metal.
 13. The shoelacesystem of claim 12, wherein the shoelace tip comprises a zinc alloy. 14.The shoelace system of claim 13, wherein the zinc alloy is at least 80%zinc.
 15. A method of manufacturing shoelaces, the method comprising:providing a shoelace tip comprising a malleable material forming ahollow cylinder with an open end and a rounded closed end; inserting anend portion of an elastic shoelace into the open end of the shoelacetip; mechanically flattening the shoelace tip with the end portion ofthe elastic shoelace inside, such that the tip has an oblong crosssection and the shoelace is fastened therein.
 16. The method of claim15, further comprising wrapping the end portion of the shoelace in tapeprior to inserting the end portion into the shoelace tip.
 17. The methodof claim 15, wherein the malleable material comprises a metal.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the metal is a zinc alloy.
 19. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the oblong cross section has a rounded-rectangleshape.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying arubberized coating to the shoelace tip.